August saw Linda and Tom looking at houses near Steamboat for a stationary home.  Both of us miss the connection to community that we had back in Manassas, and decided that it was time to put down roots.  Housing in Steamboat is quite expensive, so we looked at nearby communities, within 30 miles.  After much research and looking at multiple houses, we settled on a log house in Clark.  We talked with our real estate agent about putting in a bid.  While we were still working on that, the agent came back and said that the seller’s agent told him that the sellers were pretty firm on their price.  This caused us to do some serious soul searching.  As we were initially deciding to buy in Steamboat, we agreed that we would only stay for 10 years.  We realized at the time that living in icy conditions may not be optimal when we are approaching 80.  Now, we were also considering how long it stays cold in Steamboat (the first snows often come in September, and the snow doesn’t stop falling until May).  With the ardor for the house we fell in love with fully cooled, we decided that the condo was quite sufficient for our needs in Colorado, and our roots would be better planted elsewhere.

Previously, we had considered settling in Charleston, SC.  We talked about it even before our son Nate decided to settle there, but his presence added incentive.  As things work out, we were already headed  to the area.  We had decided to visit Savannah, Georgia in Late September/early October, and we had reservations at a Campgrounds that is mid-way between Savannah and Charleston.  However, before that, we had an appointment on the Virginia eastern shore.  Late September is time for the annual Kiptopeke Sea Kayaking Symposium.  Last year’s event was blown out by a tropical storm (see Episode 8 for details).  Tom was very much looking forward to the chance to teach at this year’s event.

Our reservations were at a campsite called Virginia Landing.  I’m not sure what landed there, but they didn’t leave much behind!  It has the basics; electric, water, and some have sewage hook-ups, which we were blessed to obtain.  The campsite is 5.5 miles south of the thriving metropolis of Quinby.  Quinby is a fishing community.  It has its own post office!  And a dock.  That’s about all there is to be said about it.  Once you pass through Quinby (which happens very quickly) the road has no branches until you reach the campsite at the end.  The road actually runs on a peninsula which is parallel to the mainland.  Ok, admittedly, there is a golf course on the penninsula.  During the many times a drove past during our 2 week stay, I don’t recall seeing a single golfer.  However, the course is well maintained, much to the delight of the resident deer population.  Between the golf course and the farmers fields, I did not travel that road once without seeing deer.  On one trip (on my bicycle) I counted 42 along the way.  The campground itself had about the same level of attractions as the rest of the peninsula, but it served as sufficient lodging while I attended the symposium. 

The Kiptopeke Symposium was great fun.  Tom has been attending since 2012, first as a student and now as an instructor.  The first day there he taught rolling.  He was able to help several students make progress in their journey toward an effective roll.  For most, it is a long journey.  It took Tom a year of working and practicing before he had a reliable roll.  Most people work through many sessions to get there, so he wasn’t expecting a 100% success rate.  However, significant progress was made.  The second day was teaching “Introduction to rougher water” with Brian Blankenship, an instructor Tom has known for 12 years or so.  The students were paddlers with experience on flat, calm waters, but little ocean experience.  We took them out to areas of moderate wave, with currents and winds.  For most, it was the first time they had attempted an “open water” crossing of about a mile.  They successfully gained experience in a moderate ocean environment.  It was another good day.  The third day of instruction was again rolling.  Most students saw significant progress, and one got her first roll!  Yay!  It is always exciting for an instructor when a student gets their roll.  I guess it’s like being a flight instructor and your student flies solo.  Once you roll, you are ready to tackle more challenging conditions and learn how to kayak surf, which is great fun!

Kiptopeke wrapped up and we headed toward Savannah.  We overnighted at the Cracker Barrel in Florence, SC, as Hurricane Helene came through.  Winds rocked the RV a bit, and the rain fell pretty heavy.  By morning, nothing but puddles faced us, so we were on our way.  However, conditions at our campsite in Yemassee, SC did not weather the storm so easily.  We got a call while travelling there that trees had fallen and blocked access to the campsite.  Also, the electricity was out an restoration uncertain.  We took our time getting there, stopping for groceries and supplies along the way.  Our RV has a generator, so when we got the message that the entry was open, we went to the campsite and set up.  The generator worked fine for us and we settled in.  There was still a lot of standing water from the heavy rains, and branches down everywhere.  I will note that over our three week stay there, the put a lot of effort into getting everything cleaned up nicely.  Power was restored two days after our arrival.  Helene was little more than an inconvenience for us.  As you may have heard, others were not nearly so fortunate.

We had contacted an agent in Charleston, and we started looking at houses.  We had looked online at houses over a wide geographic range near Charleston, and our agent dutifully drove us all over the place to view our selections.  Over the course of the first 8 days, we realized that while some of the communities in the area are lovely, ultimately we wanted to be relatively close to the water (due to Tom’s Kayaking) while staying far enough away that the house didn’t have a basement pool every time the tide was high. 

Ultimately, we selected a home with a neighborhood pool (for Linda) and a neighborhood dock on the Stono River (for Tom).  We are a 30 minute drive from the Ocean, which seams just about right. 

Tom has several friends and acquaintances in Charleston that he has made through kayaking. 

That will make the transition to this new area much easier.  Linda has already begun to connect with local sewing/knitting/weaving/spinning groups as well.  We close on the house in December.  We will have plenty of room for visitors, with two guest bedrooms, each having their own bathroom.  Y’all come on down and stay a while!

In keeping with our original plan, we did spend a couple of days in Savannah. The city squares are quite beautiful, and there is so much history to explore.

We also hit the museum and encountered this statue, which may be familiar to some. It no longer resides in Bonaventure Cemetery as the site-seers became overwhelming after the book came out.

The plan for the second half of October was two weeks in the Florida Keys (without the RV).  We drove the camper to Mobile, Alabama and set up there.  Then we left Toby with Linda’s dad and we drove to Marathon Key.  I will note that although Highway 10 was clear all across Northern Florida, Hurricane Helene had left its mark.  An unending string of downed trees lined the highway from Jacksonville to Tallahassee.  The crews were out cleaning up, but the magnitude of the work will keep them busy for a while.  Driving from Alabama to the Keys took us through Orlando.  Here, Milton had also left reminders.  We didn’t see the devastation that Milton left on the Gulf Coast, but there was evident wind damage and highway signs down.  However, as it happens, the Keys were pretty much unaffected, and our accommodations there are in prime shape.  So far, we have been to the Sea Turtle Hospital (turtles really are adorable)

the Dolphin Research Center, and we went to Key West for the Sea Wreck Museum and the Mel Fisher Museum (if you are into Scuba Diving or Treasure Hunting, you may have heard of the $400M wreck he found after 16 years of searching, the Atocha). 

It was “Fantasy Week” in Key West.  Apparently, there are lots of guys whose fantasy is to walk around in a Tutu.  More power to them.  We ended our Key West visit in Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Restaurant.  Linda had the seafood platter.  Tom had a cheeseburger.  If you are a Parrot head, you understand. 

Staying on Marathon key.  This last week, the winds are all 15 – 20 MPH.  Last week it was only 10, and Tom did some kayaking and bicycling. It’s not that Tom CAN’T kayak in 20 MPH, having repeatedly done so.  However, experience says that it is a slow slog, and not nearly as much fun.  That pretty much goes the same for the bicycling, with the added thrill of potentially getting blown off one of the bridges linking the keys.  I know, whiney-crying retiree problems.

We found this great locals bar, Dockside.  Sunday night is “jam night”.  There is a band, but they rotate in musicians from the locals crowd. They are all known players, so they just step in and start jamming.  The music is all 70’s or so, and most of the folks have probably been playing the songs since Casey Casem first put them on his top 40.  One of the bassists needed help with his walker to make it on the stage (not a joke).  The music is awesome!  The lead drummer rotated out, but none of the locals stepped-up.  A German Tourist in his early 30’s volunteered.  The dude knew how to swing a stick!  His PARENTS probably heard the songs when they first came out, but clearly they had raised him right.  Oh, and the place serves a pretty good fish-abnd-chips.

It has been a good time!